Renunciation of Polish citizenship - who, when and how can apply for it?

Polish law allows the possibility of losing Polish citizenship. This can happen only at the request of the person concerned. Such necessity is encountered by Polish citizens in various life situations. Most often it is due to the desire to work in the state structures of third countries, which, for security reasons, require that candidates for certain positions have citizenship only of their country, as is the case with the USA.

In the past, many European countries did not allow multiple citizenships by law, such as Sweden, Germany and Norway, and to this day the Netherlands. Polish citizens wishing to renounce Polish citizenship must already have citizenship of another country or a promise to acquire that citizenship in order to apply for renunciation of Polish citizenship. Sometimes Polish citizens, guided by various motives, apply to the President of the Republic of Poland for permission to renounce Polish citizenship without having any other citizenship. It is not possible to proceed with such applications due to the applicable Polish and international laws designed to prevent a person from having no citizenship and becoming a so-called stateless person.

If you have obtained the consent of the President of the Republic of Poland to renounce Polish citizenship, but your life situation or legal circumstances have changed - you can apply to the President of the Republic of Poland for re-granting Polish citizenship.

The submission of an application for consent to renounce Polish citizenship must meet formal requirements - you need to collect a number of documents - in the original or in an officially certified copy.

These include photographs, a document confirming the identity and citizenship of the applicant, his spouse and children, civil status certificates.

In case of formal deficiencies, the applicant is requested to complete the application within a maximum period of 30 days from receipt of the request. Failure to meet these strict requirements is often the reason for leaving the application unprocessed.

An application for consent to renounce Polish citizenship may be filed by a Polish citizen who already has citizenship of another state or a promise to acquire citizenship of another state, which he will acquire upon fulfillment of the condition of loss of Polish citizenship. Such a promise is often valid for a specific period of time, so it is extremely important that after receiving such a promise, e.g. in Austria, to apply as soon as possible to the President of Poland for permission to renounce Polish citizenship. The condition for starting the procedure for renunciation of Polish citizenship is to apply to the President of the Republic of Poland for consent to renounce Polish citizenship. The applicant does this on his own behalf - he must personally sign the application. If he has a minor child - he can include the child in his application. The renunciation of Polish citizenship must be agreed to by all legal guardians of the child. A minor who has reached the age of 16 must also consent to the loss of Polish citizenship. It is possible to apply for renunciation of Polish citizenship only for the child.

Application for the President of the Republic of Poland to renounce Polish citizenship is submitted:

• through a voivode competent for the place of residence
• through a consul for those living abroad.

0 PLN - applications submitted through a provincial governor.

360 euros - consular fee for an applicant who submits an application for consent to renounce Polish citizenship abroad through a consul.

A Polish citizen with respect to whom the President of the Republic of Poland has issued a ruling on granting consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship loses Polish citizenship at the end of 30 days from the date of the ruling on the matter, or within a shorter period if the President of the Republic of Poland so decides. The applicant, through the agency of the office where he/she filed the application, will receive a notice of the content of the decision on granting consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship with information about the loss of Polish citizenship after a certain number of days (usually 30) from the date of the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland.

The President of the Republic of Poland may refuse to consent to the renunciation of Polish citizenship. The applicant, through the office where he/she filed the application, will receive a notice of the content of the decision on granting consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship with information about the refusal to grant consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship.

The refusal is final, without justification, and cannot be appealed, and all documents remain in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland.

If you have received a refusal of consent to renounce Polish citizenship - you can submit another application.

Polish law provides for the possibility of renunciation of Polish citizenship by order of the President of the Republic of Poland. To obtain it, it is necessary to submit an application for consent to renounce Polish citizenship, which must meet certain formal requirements. Application for renunciation of Polish citizenship may be filed by a Polish citizen who has citizenship of another state or has a promise to acquire it. An application for renunciation of Polish citizenship may be submitted through a voivode by an applicant residing in Poland or through a consul by an applicant living abroad. Depending on the method of filing the application, it is exempt from payment or subject to stamp duty.

The decision to consent to the renunciation of Polish citizenship is made by the President of the Republic of Poland. If the decision is positive, the foreigner loses Polish citizenship after 30 days from the date of the decision. This term may be different. The applicant receives, through the agency of the office where he/she filed the application, a notice of the content of the decision on granting consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship with information about the loss of Polish citizenship after a certain number of days (usually 30) from the date of the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland.

If the decision is negative, the foreigner receives a notice of the content of the decision on granting consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship with information about the lack of consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship, and all documents remain in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland. In case of refusal, the application can be submitted again.

If you are anxious to have your application granted, the Kancelaria ds. Obywatelskich will help you. Due to the fact that the founder of Kancelaria ds Obywatelskich worked for many years in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland and professionally dealt with exactly this type of application for renunciation of Polish citizenship, we have a unique knowledge that no other company helping foreigners in Poland has. We invite you to contact us for a smooth submission of an application for the renunciation of Polish citizenship.